Combined vegetable slicer and cuber



J. ANSTICE. COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, I920.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.,

7SHEETSSHEET I.

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COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBEH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, I920.

1,357,829, Patented Nov. 2, 1920..

7SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. ANSTICE.

COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5.1920.

1 57 8g9 Patented Nov 2, 19200 7 SHEETSSHEET 3.

J. ANSTICE.

COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1920,

1 557,829, Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

7 SHEETSSHEET 4.

J. ANSTICE.

COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBER.

APPLICATION FILED MARI 5, I920.

1,351,829. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

7SHEETSSHEET 5.

J. ANSTICE.

COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5, 1920.

J. ANSTICE. COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND CUBER.

v APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. I920. 1,357,829.

Patented N 0V. 2, 1920.

' 7 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH ANSTICE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 JOSIAH ANSTICE & 00., INCORPORATED, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COMBINED VEGETABLE SLICER AND OUBER.

Application filed March 5, 1920.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JosIAH Ansrron, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Combined Vegetable Slicers and Cubers, of which the following is. a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in combined vegetable slicers and cubers, which is particularly intended for use in hotels, restaurants and large households, where it is desirable to either quickly slice or cube a small or large quantity of vegetables.

My improved machine is particularly intended to slice or cube potatoes and other vegetables having the same general shape, and may be used for slicing fruits, such, for instance, as apples.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved mechanism for either slicing only, or for first slicing and then cubing the vegetable placed in the machine, the slicing and cubi'ng when desired being accomplished by a continuous operation of the machine.

My improved machine is of that type in which a slice is first cut from the vegetable and each slice separately further acted upon for forming it into strlps or into cubes, as may be desired, or the vegetable may be only sliced into fiat disks or slabs.

Further specific objects of the invention willappear from the following description and disclosure.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top planoview somewhat larger as compared with Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View on the l ne 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction 1ndicated by arrows.

Fig. 4 is a central vertical longitudinal View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by arrows.

Fig. 5 is a detached perspective View showing a portion of the pusher head wh ch acts with the knives for forming a flat slice into either strips or cubes.

Fig. 6 is a detached top perspective view of the upper knife box with the knives removed therefrom.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 363,407.

Fig. 7 is a detached perspective View of one of the box knives and the means for holding it therein and removing therefrom, the parts shown in separated relation.

Fig. 8 is a detached top perspective View of the lower knife box with the knives secured in position therein.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another form of pusher head.

Fig. 10 is a broken cross-sectional View on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a detached perspective View of another form of cutter box and right-angle arranged knives.

Fig. 12 is a detached perspective View of a part of two of the knives shown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a detached perspective view of the knife box shown in Fig. 11, with the lower set of knives removed.

Fig. 14: is a longitudinal view of a form of knife box for cutting potatoes in strips for French frying, the knives being set at an angle.

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14, show ing a somewhat different form for fastening the knife blade in the box.

. In my improved machine, I provide a trough-like portion A, arranged in a horizontal position, and at the outlet end of the trough portion A is a vertical frame B. The inner end of the trough portion A is provided with supporting legs 1, and the opposite or outer end of the trough portion A is supported by a suitable leg 2. These legs 1 and 2 are preferably provided with laterally extending feet 3, through which suitable screws 4 may be passed for securing the machine on a suitable support such, for instance, as a table, thus placing the machine in a convenient position for opera tion. The upper inner edges of the trough member A are provided with longitudinal slots 5, in which a hopper-carrying member 6 reciprocates, the member 6 extending across the top of the trough A and carrying at its inner end a vertical receiving hopper 7, the outer rear edge 8 of the hopper 7 being secured to the reciprocating member 6 by suitable screws or bolts 9. By reason of this construction the hopper 7 is moved back and forth with the reciprocating member 6 within the top of the trough A.

A platform 10 is placed on the bottom a .10 vided with supp of the trough A, andthis platform 10 is separated from the bottom and sides of the trough A to form a U-shaped space 11, around the platform 10 in which U-shaped space a reciprocating slice-receiving and feeding plate loosely fits and reciprocates with the reci rocating member 6 to which it is attached? This attachment is accomplished by providing the rear edges of the plate 12 with'upwardly and rearwardly extending arms 13, which are fastened to the member 6, by suitable screws 14. By means of this construction the receiving and feeding late 12 is moved back and forth with the opper 7. By reference to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the slice-receiving and feediYng plate 12 is located under the hopper A slicing cutter 15 extends across the inner end of the trough A and is secured to the top of its side walls by suitable screws 16, and is readily attached to or removed therefrom for the purpose of sharpening or replacement or for assembling of the machine. Attention is also directed to the fact that the slice-receiving and feeding plate 12 has its inner end 17 preferably project-- ing inward or forward beyond the hopper 7, for a purpose explained hereinafter.

A supplemental removable top 18 is provided for the vegetable-receiving platform whereby the platform 10 may be proemental tops of varlous thicknesses for the purpose of regulatin the thickness of the slices to be cut, as will be presently described. From this description it will be' understood that the members 10 and 18 constitute a vegetable receiving platform which is capable of being varied in height by its removable or supplemental top 18, for the purpose of varying and regulating the thickness of the slices to be cut from the vegetable placed in the hopper 7.

Therefore, the machine will be provided with a plurality of supplemental tops of various heights or thicknesses that can be readily removed or placed in, position to meet the requirements. of the desired thickness of the slifis to-be out. These supplemental platform tops 18 rest loosely on the platform 10, the said platform bein provided with a recess 19 to receive its supp emental top 18, whereby the supplemental top when dropped into its recess is removably held in its proper position. The platform 10 is supported above the bottom and away from the side walls of the trough A, by providing the rear or outer edge of the platform 10 with a depending web or projection 20, which rests upon the bottom a of the trough A, and is secured thereto by suitable screws 21.

The inner or front end of the trough A has at each side of its bottom forwardly -ex-- tending arms 22 to which the vertical frame B is attached by providing the frame B with extending ears 23, which are attached to the outer sides of the trough and the forwardly rojecting arms 22, by suitable screws or ol'ts 24. The upwardly projecting frame B, consists of vertically arranged side frames 6 which are provided with vertical slots 0 and a horizontal plate d connects the upper ends of the side frames 6.

A vertically reciprocating pusher head C is located between the side frames 6 and this pusher head C is deta'chably connected to a reciprocating cross-head D, by means of suitable screws 25. The opposite ends of the cross-head D are provided with vertically extending fiat portions 26, which move against the inner sides of the frames 12 and also with outwardly projecting vertically elongated trunnions 27 which move in the vertical slots 0, whereby the cross-head is supported against lateral movement as it moves up and down between the vertical side frames 6.

The upper faces 28 of the forwardly projecting arms 22 constitute a knife-box receiver, upon which the knife-box or boxes (to be presently explained) are detachably received.

The knife-box comprises an outer box E and an inner box F. For convenience the box E will be referred to as the main or outer box and the box F as the supplemental or inner box. Referring now to the main box E, it comprises arectangular frame 29 of a'size to rest on the box-receiving surface 28, between the inner vertical shoulders. 30 and the outer shallow vertical shoulders 31, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The inner edge 32 of the main box E and the outer edge 33 of said box are provided with vertical knife receiving slits 34, and the inner edge 32 is provided with an inwardly extending flange or lip 35 in a plane below the inner edge 32, and this flange 35 is provided with knifereceiving slits 36 in a line with the slits 34 of the edge 32. The ends of the knives 37 are placed in the said slits. One end of each knife is provided with a head 38, and this head is placed in the slits 34 of the edge 33, the lower edges of the heads of the knives engaging the outwardly tapered portion 39, and the upper edges of the heads 38 are each engaged by separate clips 40, which are held by screws 41. These clips 40 have an inclined surface 41 for engaging the inner top edges of the knife heads'38. The opposite 37 are firmly but detachablv held in position in the knife housing E. he knives 37 are double edge, as shown, and are, therefore, reversible, so that when one edge becomes worn, it can be reversed for using the other edge, and the knives can be removed to be sharpened if necessary The inner or supplemental knife housing F is within and embraced by the main or outer knife housing E as shown in Fig. 4, and the knives 37 of the supplemental housing F are arranged at right angles to the knives 37 of the main housing E.

The knives 37 of the supplemental housing F are of the same construction as the knives 37 of the main housing E, and to describe them would be merely a repetition of the description given of the housing E and its knives. For this reason, the same reference numerals will be applied to the specific construction of the housing F, and the means for securing its knives therein as are applied to the similar constructions of the housing E.

A swinging gate 45 has one end pivoted at 46 to one side of the lower end of the frame B, and a hook at its opposite end 47 which engages the clamping screw 48 at the opposite lower edge of the frame B. The outer wall 29 of the main knife housing E, is provided with a projecting lip 49 having a recess 50, and the gate 45 has an inwardly extending lip 51, which projects into the recess 50 of the lip 49. In this manner the main knife housing E is secured in position, as shown in Fig. 4, and it holds the inner or supplemental housing in the position shown in said figure.

The pusher head C is provided with deep transverse slots 52, which extend in the direction of the knives 37 of the main knife housing E and with relatively shallow transverse grooves 53, which extend at rightangles to the grooves 52, but in the direction.

parallel to and receive the knives 37 of the auxlliary or inner knife housing F. This manner of forming the pusher C, provides the head with a series of downwardly extending projections or pushers 54, which are square in cross-section corresponding to the square formed by the knives 37 and 37 It is not necessary to have the slots 52 and 53 tightly fit the knives 37 and 37 in order to'cut cubes, and this also provides for any slight out of alinement of the housing or of the pusher C, due to wear or occurring otherwise.

The means for reciprocating the hopper 7 and feeder plate 12 horizontally, and for reciprocating the pusher head C vertically will now be described. 7 g

The wheel Gris secured to a shaft 55 which rotates in a bearing 56. This bearing 56 is carried by a forwardly extending arm 57,

posite end 64 of this link 62 is pivoted to the upper arm 65 of a bell-crank 66 that is secured to a transversely extending shaft 67. This shaft 67 is journaled in the outer ends of the arms22, as shown in Fig. 4, and extends across the front end of the machine. The other arm 68 of the bell-crank 67 ex tends downwardly and inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, and a link 69 has its lower end pivoted at 70 to the lower end of the'arm 68, the upper end of the link 69 engaging a pintle 71 projecting outward from the cross-head D. A crank-arm 72 is attached to the opposite end of the shaft 67, and this crank arm is connected with a pintle 7 projecting from opposite side of the crosshead D, by means of an upwardly extending link 74. i

A link 75 has its inner end pivotally connected at-7 6 with the crank arm 61, and the opposite outer end of the link 75 is pivoted at 7 7 to an arm 78, projecting outward from the reciprocating member 6. This arm 78 is attached to the member 6 by suitable screws 79.

By the arrangement of the cranks and links, above described, the'pusher head C is raised when the hopper and feeder plate 12 move in, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, and the pusher head is moved down when the hopper and feeder plate 12 move outward.

The operation of the machine briefly is as follows:

. With the hopper 7 in its outward position, the vegetable to be sliced is placed in the, hopper and rests on the supporting platform 18. The rotation of the balance wheel Gr, by its handle 80 moves the hopper inward, carrying the vegetable against the cutting edge of the knife 15, thus cutting a slab from the vegetable which falls on the feeder plate 12. As the hopper 7 and plate 12 move backward, the rear edge of the sliced slab (not shown) engages the front edge of the latform 10 or 18, and the plate 12 moves from under the vegetable slab and it falls on the bottom of the trough A. When the hopper 7 and plate 12 are moved inward again, the forward end of the plate 12 pushes the sliced slab forward and upon the knives 37 of the main knife hous- 1 ing E. At the same time another slab is cut from the vegetable and it falls on the plate 12. As the hopper 7 and the plate 12 move outward or backward again, the pusher head C moves down and forces the slab between the knives 37 cutting it into strips and. then forces the cut stripsbetween the knives 37 and the lower or auxiliary knife housing cutting the strips into cubes, which will fall through into any receptacle placed thereunder to receive them. This operation is repeated until the complete vegetable is cubed and the vegetables are placed in the hopper 7, one at a time, unless they are small enough to permit more than one to be placed therein.

From this description it will be observed .that'when the vegetable is to be cut into cubes, it is first cut into slabs which are carried over on the knives, then cut into strips and the strips cut into cubes, and this operation is repeated as long as the machine is operated and its hopper supplied with vegetables. It will be understood from this description that :several main and supplemental knife-housings having the knives various distances apart, can be provided for making cubes of different sizes, and there will be a pusher head with its grooves positioned to correspond with the knives in the knife housing. If it is. desired to cut the vegetable only into slabs, then the knife housings are removed and the cut slabs will be pushed out by the feeder plate 12 and will fall from the machine into any desired receptacle. ll also provide supplemental platforms of different thicknesses or heights whereby the thickness of the sliced slab may be varied, thatis made thinner or thicker, or any desired thickness. If it is desired to cut the vegetable into strips, such as are "used for French fried potatoes, then the inner or supplemental housing F is omitted leaving only the main houslng E. With only the main housing 'E in position, the vegetable is first cut into slabs and the slabs cut into strips.

While I show and have described a trough A, I desire it to be understood that this part of the machine may be varied without departing from my invention, so long as therev is provided a horizontal structure having at one end a horizontal knife and adapted to support a reciprocating hopper above the knife, a vegetable support in advance of the knife and a support for the sliced vegetable under the knife andin a plane below the ve etable support.

or the purpose of generic expression in the claims, the trough structure A will be I generically referred to as a horizontal structure, and the vertical frame generically termed a vertical structure;

Instead of making the pusher C of one piece and cutting therein the shallow and deep grooves, as shown in Fig. 5, itmay. be made of a plurality of pieces or sections, as shown in Figs, 9 and 10. v Referring now to the last twofigures of the drawings, C" isthe pusher head and it is made up of a plurality of plates or sections a. ach of these sections, have their adjacent sides cut out, as shown at 6, whereby they are separated when assembled notches.

extend in the direction of the lower blades' of the knife sections, whereby the pusher head C coeperates with the blades of the knife box, as described in connection with the pusher head C. These sections a are clamped together by suitable bolts 0 which pass through their upper ends, as clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

lln the form of knife box shown in Figs. 11 and 13, the upper blades d and the lower blades 6 are provided with a plurality of interlocking notches f and g, which permit the blades to telescope the depth of these By this arrangement, the blades when arranged at right-angles to each other, as shown in Fig. 11, are locked against lateral movement under the cutting pressure, so that they cannot spring laterally and thereby be caused to break. The ends of the blades fit into -slots formed in the walls of the blade box E, and are located in these positionsby suitable clamping plates h and 2', as clearly shown.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that in this form of knife box and blade,'the upper and lower blades are arranged in a single box instead of separate upper and lower boxes, as heretofore described.

In the form of box, shown in Figs. 14: and 15, for the purpose of cutting the potato into strips for French frying, l arrange-the blades is. in the knife box E at an angle so that there is a shearing action in the slicing of the otato, which relieves the strain on the Ma es by cutting the slab progressively from end to end, instead of simultaneously throughout its length when the form of knife box is used, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. lin Fig. 15, the blade is is secured in the knife box E in afsomewhat different manner. This difierence consists in providing the blade at the under side of its ends with zontal knife, a vegetable support in advance of the horizontal knife and in a plane below it, a slice support under the horizontal knife and in a plane below the vegetablesupport, and a hopper reciprocating in a horizontal plane above the vegetable support and knife whereby the vegetable is sliced into flat slabs.

2. A vegetable slicer comprising a horizontal structure, having at one end a horizontal knife, a vegetable support in advance of the knife and in a plane below it, a slice support under the knife and in a plane below the vegetable support, a hopper reciprocating in a horizontal plane above the vegetable cutter and knife, and a feeder plate reciprocating with the hopper and located in a plane between the vegetable and slice supports, whereby the vegetable sliced is first supported bv the feeder plate, then by the slice support andthen pushed off of the slice support by the feeder plate.

3. A vegetable slicer comprising a horizontal structure, having at one end a horizontal knife, a slice support in a plane be-' low the knife, a vegetable support in a horizontal plane between the knife and the slice support, the vegetable support having a removable top for the purpose described, and a hopper reciprocating in a horizontal-plane above the vegetable support and the horizontal knife.

4. A slicing machine comprising a horizontal structure, having at one end a horizontal knife, a vegetable support located in advance of the horizontal knife and in a horizontal plane below the knife, a slice support below the knife and in a horizontal plane below the vegetable support, a vertical structure at the outlet end of the horizontal structure, the vertical structure carrying vertically arranged knives with their top edges approximately in the same horizontal plane as the slice support, a vertically movable pusher head carried by the vertical structure and having slots to receive the vertical knives, a hopper reciprocating in a horizontal plane above the horizontal knife and the vegetable support, a feeder plate connected withthe hopper and pushing the slices of the vegetable on the vertical knives, and an operating mechanism common to and operating the hopper, feeder plate, and pusher head, so that the pusher head is raised when the hopper and feeder plate are in their inner positions, and is lowered when they are in their outer positions for the purpose described.

5. A potato slicer comprising a horizontal knife, means for moving the potato backward and forward in respect to the knife and cuttingsingle horizontal slabs from the potato, and means for receiving and vertically cutting the single horizontal slabs, one mechanism operating in advance. of the other.

6. A potato slicer comprising a horizontal knife, a horizontal reciprocating hopper to receive a potato and move it back and forth in respect to the knife for cutting single horizontal slabs therefrorn a vertically opthe horizontal slabs to the vertical slicing mechanism, and operative connections between the slicing mechanisms whereby-the horizontal slicer operates in advance of the vertical slicer.

7. A vegetable slicing machine comprising a horizontal structure, a horizontal knife at one end thereof, a horizontal slice support underneath the knife, a vegetable support within the horizontal structure and in a horizontal plane'between the knife and the slice support, said vegetable support having its rear end connected to the horizontal support and extending forward above the bottom of the horizontal structure, a horizontally reciprocating hopper in a hori zontal plane above the knife, and a slice feeding plate connected and movable with the hopper, said plate slidable under the vegetable support.

8. A vegetable slicer comprising a horizontal structure, a vertical structure at one end thereof, the vertical structure having at its bottom a detachable knife carrying housing, a detachable reciprocating pusher head carried by the vertical structure, whereby the knife housing and pusher head are interchangeable, and horizontally movable slicing and slice feeding mechanism carried by the horizontal structure and feeding the slices over the knife housing of the vertical structure.

9. A slicing machine comprising a horizontal structure, a vertical structure at one end thereof, a horizontal movable slicing mechanism carried by the horizontal structure, a vertically movable slicing mechanism carried by the vertical structure and including a vertically movable pusher head, a horizontal shaft extending across the lower end of the vertical structure, the shaft carrying at opposite ends crank arms pivotally connected with the pusher head to move it vertically, a rotating power shaft having a crank arm connected with the said horizontal shaft to oscillate it, and connected b a link to the horizontally reciprocating mec anism, the parts operating as described.

"10. A slicing machine comprising a horizontal structure, a vertical structure at one end thereof, the vertical structure carrying pusher head and the other arm of the bellcrank connected by a link with the crank arm of the power shaft, a link operatively connecting the horizontal reciprocating mechanism with the power shaft crank, the opposite end of the horizontal shaft from the bell-crank lever having a crank arm connected by a link with that side of the reciprocating pusher head whereby the parts operate as described. I

11. A knife housing for slicing machines, comprising a rectangular frame, the opposite sides of which are provided with vertically alined and parallel knife-receiving slots, a plurality of knives fitting in said slots, one end of the knives having heads with tapered inner edges, the other end of the knives having a transverse pin-receiving opening, and means for engaging the tapered edges of the knife-heads to move them endwise and clamp the pins against the wall of the rectangular frame.

12. A double knife-housing for slicing machines, comprising an outer rectangular frame, carrying a plurality of parallel vertically arranged knives, and an inner rectangular frame of a width and height to fit within the outer frame below its knives, the inner frame having a plurality of vertically arranged parallel knives below and at right angles to the knives of the outer housing.

13. A knife box for a vegetable cutter of the character described, comprising a rectangular frame having a plurality of slots with their lower walls arranged on an inclined plane, a plurality of blades with their ends in the slots, and means for clamping the blades to the frame, whereby the blades are placed on an angle to cause the vegetable to be cut by a slicing cutting action on the vegetable, for the purpose described.

1A. A pusher head for a vegetable slicer aaaeae of the character described, composed of a plurality of plates arranged side by side, the adjacent sides of the plates cut away to form vertical paralle grooves, and each plate having a plurality of transversely arranged slots, the parts arranged for the purpose described.

15. A potato slicer comprising a horizontal slicing mechanism, a vertical slicing mechanism, a slice support between the two mechanisms, and means moving in advance of the horizontal slicing mechanism for pushing the horizontal slices to the vertical slicing mechanism.

16. A potato slicing machine, comprising a horizontal slicing mechanism, a vertical slicing mechanism, a slice support between the two mechanisms, and a slice pusher connected with the horizontal slicing mecha nism and moving in advance thereof to push the single slices on the vertical slicing mechanism.

17. A potato slicing mechanism, compris for pushing the horizontal slices to the ver- In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JOSIAH ANSTIGE. k 

